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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22886008">Connecting The Dots</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepetulantpen/pseuds/thepetulantpen'>thepetulantpen</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, M/M, Valentine's Day, cross-posted from my tumblr, pretty much what it says on the tin, themed scavenger hunts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 10:42:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,151</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22886008</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepetulantpen/pseuds/thepetulantpen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Shuichi creates a Valentine's Day themed scavenger hunt for Kaito.</p>
<p>It doesn't quite go as planned.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Momota Kaito/Saihara Shuichi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>65</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Connecting The Dots</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shuichi is realizing, slower than he should, that this plan is going horribly wrong.</p>
<p>He saw the signs, even had the feeling before he started that this wouldn’t work, but the stubborn part of his mind insists that he just has to keep watching. Keep waiting, have faith.</p>
<p>And yet, his faith does not keep Kaito from walking, very enthusiastically, in the wrong direction. Not just the wrong direction- the <em>opposite</em> direction.  </p>
<p>He’s wandered from his lab to the courtyard and is, astoundingly, heading back again towards… the gym? Shuichi can’t even tell from this angle. He’s supposed to be in the <em>kitchen</em>, with the chocolates and the second clue.</p>
<p>Shuichi is almost grateful he’s watching from the roof of the main building, out of range to even <em>consider</em> helping. Almost grateful, if it wasn’t for the anxious itch to help that’s developing into a tension headache. He just wants to guide Kaito in the right direction but Kaito is- well, Kaito is Kaito, and Kaito doesn’t want the help.</p>
<p>Maki is propped up on the rail beside Shuichi- or, really, in front of him. Shuichi is safe <em>behind</em> the rail, thank you very much. She turns back to him, smug and right as ever.</p>
<p>“I don’t know what you expected. I told you this would happen.”</p>
<p>“I just- I thought he would get a little farther than this. To the second clue, maybe.”</p>
<p>Maki gives him a side eye that could mean anything, from judgment to agreement, and adds on that vaguely dangerous smile of hers. Too sharp to be <em>mischievous</em>.</p>
<p>“Time for plan B?”</p>
<p>Shuichi sighs, long-suffering. “I guess so.”</p>
<p>She hops gracefully off the rail, perching herself carefully on the ledge of a several story drop. “I’ll get him to the finish line. Just make sure you’re in position.”</p>
<p>“Alright,” Shuichi gives her and the ledge a look, then glances back to the stairwell, “I’ll just, uh, take the stairs.”</p>
<p>“Good plan.”</p>
<p>And with that, Maki disappears from sight, descending silently and invisibly down the wall. Shuichi would watch, <em>should</em> watch, to make sure she’s safe, but even the thought of looking straight down makes him nervous, so he turns and does his best to stop worrying about it.</p>
<p>It doesn’t work. He worries about Maki and Kaito and, well, <em>everything</em>.</p>
<p>The best he can do is channel the nervous energy into perfecting- no, <em>surviving</em> the rest of this day.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>Kaito is pretty sure he’s killing it at this game. Who’d have thought he’d be so good at riddles, in addition to his <em>many</em> other talents?</p>
<p>The first clue had been almost too easy, he hadn’t even needed to read it more than once. Less sophisticated than what he expected of Shuichi, honestly.</p>
<p>
  <em>Look for your next clue where you’ll find something dark, round, square, big or small, seen on Valentine’s Day and loved by all. </em>
</p>
<p>A window, he thought, the view from which points him directly toward the courtyard. It makes sense that Shuichi would direct him here, where they did all their training and spent so much time together. It’s beautiful this time of year, too, as the bushes have bloomed with all colors of flowers.</p>
<p>But mostly shades of orange, a very particular shade of orange that reminds him of gym floors. From the training courtyard, to the gym. Not a difficult to jump.</p>
<p>Though, now that he’s arrived, he will admit he’s a <em>little</em> stumped. There’re no obvious clues, no pieces of paper holding additional riddles, but he should’ve expected that Shuichi wouldn’t be so straightforward.</p>
<p>He’ll have to think outside the box for this one, which means dismantling the box first, which means… well, he’s resorted to prying things off the walls. It feels vaguely wrong, like it should be against the rules for Shuichi to hide clues behind puzzles that require brute force.</p>
<p><em>Although</em>, Shuichi does know how strong he is. Maybe he counted on this, and wanted to provide a test of strength, to complement the test of skill and intellect.</p>
<p>An entire panel of wall comes off with a satisfying, metallic thud. The sound <em>almost</em> distracts him from another noise, a much softer thump behind him, but nothing gets past Kaito’s superior senses of observation.</p>
<p>Spinning around, he spots a small bundle sitting on the floor where there wasn’t one before. Or he <em>thinks</em> there wasn’t one, though he can’t be <em>sure</em>, with all the clutter lying around.</p>
<p>His first impulse is to look up, but a cursory glance into the vast darkness of the rafters doesn’t reveal anything. Looking closer feels, again, like cheating, like he’s looking behind the curtain at a magic show. Maybe there’s a Rube Goldberg machine of some sort hidden up there, triggered by the panel.</p>
<p>That <em>must</em> be it, he decides, and nearly forgets about the bundle in his introspection.</p>
<p>Wrapped up in heart-printed cloth is a box of chocolates with a note attached. Across the note, scrawled in strangely slanted handwriting (Shuichi must have written this in a rush, to make it look so different from his usually neat print), reads a simple message.</p>
<p>
  <em>Find your next clue in the hallway outside classroom B-2.</em>
</p>
<p>Kaito frowns at the paper, unsure what to make of this clue that’s not really a clue at all. He holds the paper up to the light, checking to see if there’s hidden ink, maybe, or a trick to the material. Nothing shows up, though he recalls something about lemon juice, for invisible ink.</p>
<p>No, that might be the wrong idea. Too far out of his way.</p>
<p>Probably a code, then. What else could B-2 mean? Detective shorthand? Music note? Come to think of it, he’s pretty sure there’s a star named-</p>
<p>Out of the corner of his eye, he sees something move. He twists in place, expecting to confront an intruder of some sort- maybe a built-in obstacle to the scavenger hunt, wouldn’t that be exciting- but finds only the open doorway and a stuffed bear sitting in the hall.</p>
<p>It’s very cute, holding a star instead of the traditional heart. Kaito picks it up, then, because it’s already on his way, thinks that it can’t hurt to at least stop by classroom B-2. While he’s solving the <em>real</em> clue, obviously.</p>
<p>Maki watches him go from the rafter above his head. The depths of stupidity these boys manage to explore continue to astound her. Really, there should be a study on the neurological phenomenon of boys in love.</p>
<p>At this point, she’s worried she’ll run out of Valentine’s Day related items to guide Kaito like a child with a trail of Cheerios. Or, worse, that she’ll lose her balance next time she has to wave to get his attention and make him turn around.</p>
<p>A concussion would make this scavenger hunt more complicated; though Kaito has done a decent job of complicating it on his own, with the massive amount of overthinking he’s doing. It’s almost <em>painful</em> to watch and Maki has no idea how Kaito hasn’t given himself an aneurysm.</p>
<p>Still, whatever he’s decided on in that mysterious mind of his is leading him confidently, and quickly, through the hallways. If she doesn’t get going soon, she’ll get left behind.</p>
<p>Maki sighs, but doesn’t bother to keep the smile off her face. There’s no one around to hide it from.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>Shuichi has been crammed in a locker, <em>waiting</em>, for the better part of an hour. It wasn’t <em>technically</em> necessary for him to stay in his hiding place the whole time but he was so worried he wouldn’t hear Kaito coming that he didn’t want to risk ruining the surprise.</p>
<p>Now, he realizes his concern was completely unfounded. Kaito’s footsteps are heavy, and he runs nearly everywhere; Shuichi knows he’s coming before Kaito even turns into his section of the hall. And, if the footsteps weren’t enough, Shuichi can also hear him loudly talking to himself.</p>
<p>“Could it have anything to do with galaxies? Maybe the Milky Way- could he have meant the kitchen?”</p>
<p>Kaito’s footsteps pause and Shuichi nearly bangs his head against the locker door. Of course, <em>now</em> he wants to go to the kitchen.</p>
<p>His hesitation gives Maki the opening she needs to sneak past Kaito- though <em>sneak</em> is a generous term. Shuichi can see her even through the narrow slat in the locker as she just walks around Kaito, who’s sufficiently distracted by staring off into space.</p>
<p>Maki gives Shuichi a knowing look- she’s spotted him because <em>of course</em> she has, her sense for hidden things is near supernatural- and slides into a locker across the hall. On her way in, she rattles it dramatically, but gets it shut before Kaito turns his head toward the noise.</p>
<p>Luckily, Kaito does decide to investigate the sound- though it’s a close thing, Shuichi can see in his expression the moment he considers ignoring it- and takes enough steps in the right direction to see the large heart drawn in the center of the hallway, in front of B-2.</p>
<p>Originally, the heart had been part of a larger riddle a few clues down the line but right now Shuichi will settle with Kaito getting <em>anywhere</em> near the target. He waits with bated breath for Kaito to cautiously approach the heart, circling it as if touching it will trigger a trap or contaminate it in some way.</p>
<p>Ideally, he’d stand on the heart, but beggars can’t be choosers. Shuichi opens the locker door when Kaito is approximately in front of him and throws his arms around him before he gets a chance to turn around. It feels less like the warm hug he’d imagined and more like he’s keeping Kaito from escaping down another rabbit hole, but he’ll take it.</p>
<p>“Shuichi!” Kaito looks at him over his shoulder and forces the surprise off his face, replacing it with smooth confidence. Like he’d expected this, even seen it coming. “Does this mean I did it? Did I win?”</p>
<p>Shuichi laughs against his back and lets him go, giving him enough space to turn around and face him. His smile is as brilliant as it always is, but Shuichi can see the lingering confusion in the crinkle around his eyes, gaze still darting back to the hallway like he’s anticipating there to be a twist ending and another riddle to solve.</p>
<p>“Yes, you did. Solved everything in record time, actually.”</p>
<p>It’s almost true. Kaito <em>did</em> cut out a significant amount of time by skipping the majority of the scavenger hunt, but there’s no need to damper the mood with semantics.</p>
<p>Kaito, oblivious, beams. “Of course I did! My brain is bigger than the average astronaut’s, you know?”</p>
<p>“I know, Kaito. I underestimated you, honestly. But,” Shuichi almost laughs at Kaito’s expression, suddenly less confident at the implication there could be <em>more</em> puzzles, “There is <em>one</em> more surprise.”</p>
<p>Shuichi pushes Kaito toward the classroom door, lagging behind a step to shoot Maki a grateful smile. He’ll have to thank her properly later, when she’s not hiding in a locker. Without her, Kaito would still be wandering the school.</p>
<p>B-2 has been cleared of anything that might identify it as a classroom. Instead, it’s dressed up to be a mixture of an observatory and a pillow fort- fairy lights in the shape of stars on the walls, star-printed blankets and pillows strewn across the floor- with enough snacks and games for a respectable sleep-over. There’s even a little telescope he had Maki “borrow” from Kaito’s lab.</p>
<p>The classroom, however, is unique in one way. The huge window has the best view of the night sky in the whole school- Shuichi should know, he spent a week scoping out <em>every</em> classroom- minus Kaito’s lab.</p>
<p>Kaito steps up to the window and looks out at the school beneath them, then up the stars slowly coming to life above them. His expression, for once, is unreadable.  </p>
<p>“Did you set all of this up?”</p>
<p>“I had a little help. I thought it’d be nice to have a night in, under the stars but without the cold. Some relaxation, after all the hard work of the scavenger hunt.” Shuichi picks at his hair, tugging at a strand in the absence of a hat to pull down. “Do you like it?”</p>
<p>There’s a pause that makes Shuichi more aware of his nerves than he would like to be. Infectious overthinking jumps from Kaito to Shuichi, forcing his thoughts to chase themselves in circles. It works him up to taking a step back, ready to leave, when Kaito grabs his hand and hauls him forward.</p>
<p>Using his momentum to drag Shuichi with him, Kaito plops down on the pillows in front of the window and, with his free hand, slings a blanket around them like a cape. Shuichi looks up at him like he would the stars and finds Kaito’s smile, more brilliant than the faded constellations.</p>
<p>“It’s <em>perfect</em>.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is the spiritual sequel to last year's saimota fic and another gift for @FancyKryptonite. Go check her tumblr for some saimota fanart!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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